Wednesday, 24 October 2012

Very Tasty Veg Stew

This is a recipe that I saw Nigel Slater make, though of course I adapted it slightly to suit our tastes and fridge contents! The key to this recipe is cooking the veg in stages, rather than bunging it all in to make a mushy stew. The veg keep their individual flavours & textures, which makes it sing. This would also make a lovely pasta sauce, or a filling for a pie. Top with mash or pastry, or even grated cheese. This makes enough for 5 hearty appetites! It is also a perfect recipe for those following the 5:2 fasting diet - 1 large portion comes in at 150 calories. You get a lot of food & nutrients for your calories with this!

Heat a shallow layer of olive oil in a large, low sided pan and
brown the aubergine on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Fry
each of the other vegetables separately in the order above, adding more
oil as necessary, until each is pale gold. Remove as each one is ready
and set aside.
When you reach the onions, cook in the same way
along with the garlic but when cooked, don’t remove from the pan. Add
the herbs, along with the tomatoes and allow to cook a little before
transferring the cooked peppers back into pan. Add the passata and leave
to simmer, with the lid on. When the sauce is reduced a little transfer
the aubergine and courgettes back in to the pan along with the bay
leaves and season. Taste – leave to simmer for a few more minutes. Stir
gently with a handful of torn basil leaves and serve.